


Whispering Dreams

by dragonesdepapel



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Genre: A bit of swearing, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, F/F, Fever Dreams, Hopeful Ending, It took two tries but i think now it's where i wanted it to be, It's a long road to redemption, Kinda, Sickfic, but Catra is getting there, i wanted a fix it fic and somehow this is what i got
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-08-24 15:37:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonesdepapel/pseuds/dragonesdepapel
Summary: “Just focus on getting better. The sooner you do that, the sooner you can get far away from here.”“I don’t need you to tell me what to do.” It was a weak line, but it wasn’t like Catra had the strength for anything else.





	1. Chapter 1

This was just like her, honestly. She had everything she had ever wanted, she was on top of the world, and then what? She was going to lose it all because of a dumb mistake. 

Of course she’d get separated from her team and of course she’d get stuck on a crack and of course she'd break her foot. Weren't the woods supposed to be in ruins anyway? 

But no, for Catra, the woods were still as deadly as ever. Go figure. 

She kept hobbling along, determined to make it back. But she had to admit, it was not looking good. It took all of her energy to keep going. Her foot felt like it was on fire. She was sweating, shaking and generally feeling like she was on the verge of dying.

 

* * *

 

There was a light on her eyes. When had she closed them? Shit, had she passed out? Everything felt fussy. And painful. She had totally been passed out. The light was annoying though, it was giving her a headache. Or maybe she already had a headache. She kinda hurt all over. She closed her eyes, it didn't help much.  

“What were you thinking?” 

“I couldn’t just leave her there, Glimmer!” 

Catra groaned. Did they have to talk so loudly? Didn’t they notice that she was practically dying over here? 

“Look, I know this is not ideal but she needs help. She's really sick. Please, Glimmer.” 

Catra had opened her eyes and was now staring at the ceiling. It had taken her a while to figure it out. The complete lack of branches and vines should have clued her in sooner. There was a shuffle to her right. She tried turning that way but then something touched her ankle and the pain pulled her under again. 

 

* * *

 

“Oh, you are awake.” 

Catra blinked. She had clearly lost it because there was no way she was seeing Adora right now. 

Adora pursed her lips. She reached forward and took a piece of cloth from Catra’s forehead. She tried to follow the action with her eyes but something told her that moving wasn’t the best idea right now. 

“Do you remember what happened?” 

Catra wasn’t sure. She had been in the Whispering Woods at some point but she clearly wasn’t there anymore. 

Adora leaned forward again. “You are at Bright Moon. Your ankle is broken and you have a fever.” 

She set the cloth back Catra’s forehead. It was wet, and cold. It dripped down her face and she wrinkled her nose. “Playing the hero again, I see.” 

“Say whatever you want, but I wasn’t about to leave you to die out there. Just-” Adora hesitated, “-just focus on getting better, ok? The sooner you do that, the sooner you can get far away from here.” 

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do” she snarled. It was a weak line, but it wasn’t like Catra had the strength for anything else. 

Done with the conversation, she closed her eyes and fell asleep. 

 

* * *

 

She was back on the Fright Zone, back in her old bed. Or had she never left? Perhaps Adora had shipped her off so she wouldn’t be on her way anymore. It certainly sounded like Adora. 

But no, this was a dream, wasn’t it? It felt like it at least. And she wasn’t in pain anymore. And there was no one else. She got up, walked around. 

“Scorpia?” 

“Princess?” 

Nothing. 

“Adora?” she finally called. 

She kept walking. 

 

* * *

 

"I knew you’d come crawling back on the end.” 

She-Ra was sitting on the bed, playing with her hair. Catra tried to get up, but She-Ra caught her by the foot. A searing pain coursed through her. 

“C’mon, don’t be like that. Admit it, you were exhausted from trying to fill in my spot. From knowing nothing ever did would be good enough.” The grip on her foot became stronger. “Just admit it Catra, and I’ll let you go. You won’t have to worry about that anymore.”

 

* * *

 

One of the princesses was making questions but Catra was too exhausted to understand what she was saying. She wanted to sleep but they kept touching her, poking her, hurting her. 

 

* * *

 

Adora was glowing, and it was a problem. She asked if she could turn it down and but all she did was shine brighter. Catra pushed a hand over her eyes but it was no use. She couldn't keep the light away. 

 

* * *

 

She had grown to like the dreams about the Fright Zone. Life was an ironic bitch like that. But she always knew for sure they were dreams. No matter how real they seemed, she would always wake up. 

The ones about Bright Moon weren’t so simple. Those blurred the line between what was real and what wasn’t. Was she ever truly awake? 

Catra didn’t know. 

But she knew the ones about the Fright Zone were fake. 

“C’mon Catra!” called Adora. 

She trailed behind her in the endless corridors, following her laughter. 

“C’mon, Catra!” It echoed. 

“C’mon!” 

The laughter came from everywhere at once now. Catra stopped, lost. She caught glimpse of a ponytail disappearing around a corner and started running. 

“C’mon, Catra!” 

The laughter became louder and louder, piercing her ears. Catra fell to her knees and covered them with her hands. 

 

* * *

 

There was another bed in the room. Catra could see it when she turned to the left. She thought her ankle was doing better because moving didn’t feel like she was dying anymore. 

Adora always slept in a chair though. It was closer to her bed. If Catra tried, she could flick her with her tail. 

 

* * *

 

Sometimes she caught Adora. They were in the black garnet’s chamber. 

“C’mon, Catra, aren’t you going to touch it?” 

She did, and the pain came back. 

 

* * *

 

Once she pushed Adora onto the garnet instead. Her screams hurt more than her laughter. 

 

* * *

 

“She's getting worse.” 

“We’ve tried everything we know. We’ll keep trying but you might have to accept...” 

“No!” 

Seriously, did they never stop shouting? 

 

* * *

 

Frosta was by her bed. She extended her hands, one on each side of Catra’s head. For a second, they were all she could see. Then, everything was ice. It covered her eyes and her mouth. It got into her lungs. 

Catra screamed. 

 

* * *

 

She heard crying and she braced herself for another nightmare. But the crying turned to laughter. Endless laughter. 

“You really thought I was doing this for you? After all you’ve done to me? You are useless, Catra. Waste.” 

She could see Adora now. She was leaning in above her bed.  

“You got it wrong though. Killing me? No wonder you were always second best.” Catra tried to move away from her, but Adora cupped her face, forcing her to look at her. “Watching you suffer is a much better revenge.” 

Perhaps it wasn’t a nightmare after all. 

 

* * *

 

She chocked on water. 

“Shit.” 

Someone patter down her neck, cleaning the spill. 

“Are you awake?” It was Adora, of course. It was always Adora.  

“What do you think?” 

“It’s been a while.” A pause. “Can you drink this?” 

She pushed herself upright. She felt Adora’s hands hastily trying to help her but Catra hissed and that was the end of that. She managed to drink the whole glass without making much of a mess. When had she become so pathetic? 

“Do you want to try eating now?” 

Catra did not want to try eating. Even her feverish nightmares sounded better than trying to get food down her throat right now. Some of them, at least. 

She extended her hand. “If you try to spoon feed me, I’ll rip out your arm.” 

Adora sighed, handing her the plate. “I know.” 

 

* * *

 

“Adora, you need to go out. Get some fresh air.” 

“I’m not leaving her.” 

Catra wanted to say “I don’t need you” but she wasn’t sure she got the message across. 

 

* * *

 

She could hear Adora crying. Adora never cried. Not even when they were kids. That was always Catra. Screw up Catra. But Perfect Adora was always there to wipe her tears away.  

Groaning at the image, Catra turned to her other side. The princess was there. The sparkly one. She couldn’t remember her name. Was it the fever or had she never learned it at all? 

In any case, she didn’t see Catra open her eyes. Her back was turned to her. Adora was pressing her face to her neck. Adora was really crying.  

“I can’t lose her. She’s my best friend.” 

Catra turned the other side again. 

 

* * *

 

She woke up at nighttime. Adora was asleep on her chair. Catra’s eyes locked on the way her chest rose and fell, the way she used to do back in the Fright Zone. It used to soothe her after nightmares. Now it only seemed to feed them. 

She watched her as the shadows grew around the room. By the time she realized it was a trap, the room had been covered in darkness. They enveloped Adora, leaving Catra alone. 

“Useless,” whispered the shadows. What else would they say? 

 

* * *

 

 

“Catra, I need to go. But I’ll be back, ok? I’ll be here in the morning. I promise. They’ll take care of you while I’m not here.” 

Adora was holding her hand so strongly it hurt. It wasn’t hard, Catra hurt all over. She returned the grip with her claws. 

 

* * *

 

Catra woke up. The sun was coming in through the windows. 

“How are you feeling?” 

Adora had bags under her eyes and some hair had escaped her ponytail. It stuck to her neck. She always looked perfect in her dreams, she was always shinning. So Catra took the bait and relaxed. 

“Better, I think.” 

She really did, which was suspicious. Perhaps this was a dream after all. 

“Perfuma finally found the right combination of medicinal plants. Your fever has gone down.” 

“My ankle?” 

“We think it’s good now, maybe a little sore.” 

Catra tried it, slowly twirling her foot. It stung a little still, but she could deal with it. She had dealt with worse. She sat on the bed and jumped to the floor. She barely made it two steps forward before she crumpled to the ground. 

She could swear Shadow Weaver was somewhere out there, laughing at all of this. 

“What are you doing?” Adora yelled, kneeling beside her. 

“Don’t,” Catra warned. “Don’t touch me.” 

Adora glared. “Are you being serious right now?” But she didn’t try to help. She sat down back on her chair, watching as Catra struggled to find a grip on the bed and then slowly begin to stand up. “So, what’s your plan now? Go back to the Fright Zone like that?” 

Catra hissed. But she knew she was right. She would never make it. Her body had taken her more damage than she had realized.  

“You want us to get you there?” 

Catra stared at her. It was hard to act aloof when you got exhausted by just being awake, but she thought she pulled it off ok. Adora got the message anyway. 

“Look, you can get back in bed and finish healing, or we drop you off at the edge of the Woods and you can try your luck there.” 

“Aren’t you done playing the savior? It might work on your little friends but I’m not really a fan.” 

“You want to crawl your way back? Be my guest.” She made a sweeping gesture towards the door. 

Catra considered the distance between them. She could totally do some damage if she tried. 

Adora waited. 

Clenching her teeth, Catra got herself back to bed. 

 

* * *

 

She had woken up from the first real night of rest she had had in days to find Glimmer glaring at her. It wasn’t exactly the best way to start her day. Catra glared back. 

“Good, you are awake” Glimmer said, deadpan. “You can eat now then.” 

She dropped a plate on Catra’s lap. She regarded it suspiciously, she didn’t trust Glimmer not to poison her food. But perhaps it was a move too smart for her. Her appetite had come back, however, so she quickly started wolfing down her food. 

Glimmer made a face. “Do you have to be so gross?” 

Just for her, Catra made a show of licking her hands. 

“Ugh, at least you are clearly feeling better. Aren’t you ready to leave yet?” 

“You think I’d be still hanging around if I could? Don’t worry princess, I’ll be out of here very soon. I’m sure you and Adora will love that.” 

Glimmer balled her hands into fists. Interesting. “Don’t talk about her like that.” 

“Like what?” She tossed the plate back as unceremoniously as Glimmer had given it to her. Maybe with a little more force. “Like she isn’t as noble as she acts?” 

Sparks exploded all around Glimmer. Catra repressed the impulse to cover her face with her hands. 

“For your information, Adora has been worrying herself sick over you. She has refused to leave this room unless it was absolutely necessary. We had to drag her away and leave me in her place just so she could take a shower.” 

Catra rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the door opening. Adora walked in, carrying a tray. The tip of her hair was still damp. 

“Oh, you are awake!” 

She was smiling. Catra had never hated her more. Fuck her, and fuck her so-called kindness. She might have had everyone else fooled, but Catra knew better. 

She pounced on her. Caught off guard, Adora went down with her. 

Light erupted in her eyes and before she knew it, she was knocked over on her back, Glimmer holding her in place. Great, even Sparkles could beat her now. The humiliation never ended. 

“It’s ok, let her go.” 

“But, Adora!” complained Glimmer. “She attacked you! We should kick her out at least.” 

“Glimmer.” 

And just like that, she was released. She was supposed to be a princess but she obeyed to Adora’s every command. Disgusted, she took distance from them. 

“Catra, do you want to leave?” 

“I never wanted to be here in the first place.”  

Adora rubbed her temples. “You know what I mean. Do you want out or not?” 

Catra didn’t answer. She wasn’t an idiot, there was no way she could make her way back on her own yet. Or maybe she could, but she’d get there in even worse condition than she was now. A sick soldier was of no use to the Horde. 

“I thought so.” 

She had to pull Glimmer along to get her out of the room. Catra could hear her them arguing outside. Then the voices stopped but no one else came back in. 

She was still furious. How dare Adora do this to her. She knew full well what she had done. She had reduced her to this pathetic, helpless thing. Catra would have been better off alone in the Woods. Anything was better than this. 

The room was sparsely decorated but she still found things in which to claw out her anger. When she was done, she sat down back on her bed, staring at the mess. It did not make her feel better. 

That was how Adora found her a few minutes later. She took one look around, then pushed a mug onto Catra’s hand. 

“Just take your medicine, please.” 

She did, and she made sure to smash the mug on the floor when she was done. It looked like Adora was about to say something but, in the end, nothing came. She sat back on what remained of her chair, and Catra laid down on her destroyed bed and she hated her, hated her, hated her. 

 

* * *

 

The door opened with a crash, waking her up. 

“You are still here,” said Bow. He sounded surprised, or frantic. Or both. It was hard to tell, Catra was still more asleep than awake these days. 

“Where would I be?” she growled. She didn’t feel like arguing anymore, but she had an image to upkeep. 

“The Horde attacked. They noticed She-Ra hadn’t been around and believed they had a shot. We thought maybe you had sneaked out to join them.” 

That was actually an excellent plan, that Catra would have loved to implement. But apparently she was still sick enough to sleep through a freaking battle. Just her luck, really. She wasted no time in getting up. Maybe she could still catch up with them. Being less than operational in the Horde would still suck, but it couldn’t be worse than staying here. 

Bow followed her. “You are leaving then, right?” Catra ignored him. “Look, I just want to know what to say to Adora once she wakes up. She’ll freak out if we tell her we lost you.” 

She scoffed. “The princess is too busy getting her beauty sleep?” Something in his expression caught her attention. Catra hated herself for asking, but did it anyway. “What happened?” 

Bow hesitated. “Just answer the question, please.” 

There was only one reason he could be acting so cagey. “She got hurt, didn’t she?” The lack of answer only confirmed her suspicion. She really hated herself right now. “Take me to her.” 

“I don’t think...” Catra showed her claws and he put his hands up in surrender. “Ok, ok.” 

She followed him to a different room. A couple of people stood outside the door, but they didn’t stop them from entering. 

“How is she?” asked Bow. 

Glimmer started to answer, but then she noticed Catra walking towards the bed. “Bow, what did you do? She shouldn’t be here!” 

“She wanted to see how Adora was doing! I thought...” 

“You thought what? That you’d let her in here when Adora can’t protect herself and let her murder her in her sleep!?” 

Catra ignored them both. Adora looked nothing like in her dreams now. She had multiple cuts on her face and a bandage covered her forearm. Another one was poking out from under her shirt. She was asleep, but her breath was ragged. Catra reached out, brushing her hair aside. Adora hated it when it fell on her face. 

Glimmer walked towards her. “Hey, what do you think you are doing?” 

“I’m going back to sleep.” 

She curled up on the end of the bed, daring the princess to stop her. She didn’t. 

She could always leave in the morning. 


	2. Chapter 2

Before falling asleep, Catra had taken care to wrap her tail around Adora’s foot. That was probably why she jolted awake at the same time she did. Before she understood what was happening though, Glimmer was already there. 

“it’s ok, Adora. You are safe” 

“Glimmer?” Perhaps Catra wasn’t awake enough yet because she could have sworn Adora sounded...scared. 

“Yes, we are all here. Lie back down, you aren’t supposed to be up yet.” 

Catra didn’t know how Glimmer could tell that Adora had sat down. Even she was having trouble seeing anything in the unlit room. She felt Adora move so she stayed still. 

“I woke up and everything was dark and...” Adora definitely sounded scared. She had never been afraid of the dark before, even when she should have been. Perhaps she had finally gotten some sense knocked into her. Probably more literally than not. 

“I should have thought of that, I’m sorry. I’ll keep a light on from now on.” 

Catra was quick to close her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Adora relaxed some more, taking up more space on the bed. Her foot graced Catra’s and froze in place. 

"Is that...?"

“Catra,” Glimmer confirmed. “She walked in like she owned the place and set down on your bed.” 

“I thought she would have left by now,” Adora whispered. 

“Bow said she was on her way out when she heard you had been hurt and came here instead.” 

The silence stretched for so long that Catra was tempted to open her eyes and see what was happening. 

“Go back to sleep. We’ll be right here if you need us.” 

The light stayed on, but Catra didn’t hear anything else. She was about to fall back asleep when she felt it. Slowly, very slowly, Adora’s feet came to rest more firmly against her calf. Catra stayed where she was, but she didn’t press back. 

 

* * *

 

The next time Adora woke up, Catra didn’t bother with pretence. She sat on the bed, looking down at her. Adora blinked like she was having trouble getting the sleep out of her eyes. Then a smile spread across her face. 

“You stayed.” 

“Those are the sharp observation skills that made you stay on top of the class.” 

“Do you know if I can sit up now?” 

“Not yet.” Catra jumped down from the bed. 

One of the guards approached them. “Princess Adora.” 

“Oh yeah, Sparkles didn’t trust me to be alone with you.” 

“It’s ok,” said Adora, ever magnanimous. But she remained in bed, looking up at them, and the smile on her face was more loopy than self-sufficient. Catra was sure she couldn’t have defended herself from a fly if she had needed to. 

“But princess Glimmer-” 

“Said that her bandages had to be changed as soon as she woke up.” She gave her a toothy smile and the guard regarded her suspiciously. “See? I have it under control.” 

It really said something about Bright Moon’s security if they couldn’t even tell when someone was just pretending to be asleep. And the princess really thought they would be a threat to her? 

“She can handle it,” Adora said, smile still in place. 

They retreated, but didn’t go very far. Hand on their swords, the whole number. Like that would be enough to intimidate her. 

At least someone had been smart enough to position the bed against the wall. 

“I’ll help you up now.” 

Adora nodded. 

It felt ridiculous. Catra wasn’t the caring type. Adora had been sick or hurt before, but Catra had never been an active part of her recovery. Stealing an extra bowl of soup from the kitchen to help fight the flu? Sure, no problem. Distract the team so they wouldn’t catch Adora limping back to the barracks? Easy enough. But seeing Adora like this, unable to even sit by herself was wrong. Every time Catra beat her, Adora always stood back up on her own. 

She frowned as she helped Adora settle against the wall. She made sure she was the one carrying all the weight. Everything they needed was set on a table next to her. The bandage on her forearm was easy. The one on her abdomen not so much. The injury wasn’t big, but it looked deep. Only when she was done Catra allowed herself to look at Adora. She was sweaty and it took a second for her eyes to focus on hers. 

“You really messed up this time, Adora.” 

Her chuckle was a lot closer to a forced exhale than a real laugh. “I really did.” 

A strand of hair had fallen over her eyes as Catra cleaned up her wounds. Adora didn’t try to brush it away. Catra put it back in place using only one finger. But self-control had never been her strongest suit when it came to Adora. Her finger rounded her face and cupped her chin. She heard someone take a step towards them but she didn’t give it more acknowledgment than a flick of the ears. 

To her surprise, Adora rested her cheek against her hand. She smiled again, closing her eyes for a second. “I got overpowered. That would have never happened to you.” 

“Obviously.” 

“Yeah, you were always the smart one.” 

“You did fall on your head a lot as a child.” She withdrew her hand. Adora frowned but did not comment on it. “Your princess should be back soon.” 

The frown deepened. “You are leaving?” 

“Are you kidding? You’ve enjoyed watching me be weak and miserable for days now. No, I’m staying right here.” 

Adora relaxed. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so much fun after all, if she couldn’t even get a rise out of her. 

Glimmer appeared a few seconds later. Literally. Right in the center of the room. Jeez, what was wrong with that kid? 

“Adora, you are awake! How are you feeling?” 

Adora put on a serious look. “Weak and miserable,” she replied before she broke down in giggles. 

Catra looked at Glimmer in accusation. “Did you not check to see if she was brain damaged?” 

“What?” Glimmer said, like she was just noticing Catra sitting there. She pushed her away as came to stand beside Adora and Catra leaped to the end of the bed to get away from her. “Of course we did. She's just tired. And in pain. She gets weird about that.” She had started fussing over Adora but she turned abruptly, pointing at Catra with her finger. “And it’s your people who did this in the first place.” 

Blaming everything on the Horde, typical princess behavior. 

“Don’t fight,” Adora said, pouting. 

Catra wondered how the Rebellion had any operating forces left if this was the best their doctors could do. “This isn’t fighting. You’ll know if we do.” 

Glimmer laughed loudly. “Is that a threat?” But she wasn’t looking at Catra, she was too busy undoing Adora’s bandages. 

“I already took care of that,” Catra said, making Glimmer look up at her again. She paused, the cloth still in her hand. After a second, she went back to undoing the rest. “Hey! What are you doing?” 

“I’m making sure you weren’t trying to harm Adora.” 

Adora winced as Glimmer examined the injuries on her arm. Catra clenched her hands so tightly her claws hurt her palms. 

“Your minions over there watched the whole thing. Ask them.” 

Glimmer waited until she was done wrapping it up again to look up at them. Both guards nodded. “It’s true, we would have seen her attempt anything.” 

Glimmer’s hand hovered over Adora’s stomach. 

“Did you hear that? Now stop it, you are hurting her.” 

That made Glimmer's eyes snap back to her. “Hurt her? You are the only one who-” a hand on her dress stopped her. 

“Glimmer, please.” 

Glimmer looked down at Adora before closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. Catra could still see the anger in her eyes when she addressed her again. Her voice remained civil. “We’ll take care of her from now on. You are still recovering from your own wounds after all, it wouldn’t be adequate. Which reminds me,” she gestured to the guards, “you need to take your medicine. They’ll lead you to the infirmary.” 

Catra weighted the consequences of attacking the princes of Bright Moon right there, on that room. She’d have to deal with the two guards inside plus the ones stationed just outside the door. Her ankle still couldn’t carry her whole weight for long periods of time. Being awake for this long had already started to give her a headache. It wasn’t ideal. 

But getting a view of the rebel castle could be a valuable asset. 

She walked out the door, her escort close behind. 

 

* * *

 

Adora was already asleep by the time she got back. Catra’s leg was killing her, but she made sure to keep her pace even until she reached the bed. 

Glimmer didn’t look up from the scroll she was reading. 

With her injury, Adora couldn’t curl up on her side like she usually did. Still, she was close enough to the edge that there was still enough space left for Catra. It looked like joining the Rebellion hadn’t made her any less naïve. 

Catra had just closed her eyes when she finally heard Glimmer move. 

“Whatever you are planning, I’ll stop you,” she whispered. 

“I’d like to see you try, princess.” Catra didn’t bother with lowering her voice. A yawn escaped her. 

“Haven’t you done enough already? Why don’t you leave her alone for once? She doesn’t need you anymore.” 

Her tail bounced against the mattress. “That’s where you are wrong. Adora is nothing without me. I can see why she keeps you around though. An inferior replacement but then again, I turned out to be too much for her to handle. Better to get a couple of mediocre sidekicks than risk being bested by them again.” 

She tried to gauge the princess’ reaction, but she didn’t hear any. 

“Adora told me about your childhood. I knew it was messed up but I didn’t think...” Glimmer trailed off, but her distaste was audible. 

“Sorry to burst your bubble. Except that I’m not.” 

“No, I was talking about you. I get it, you are evil. But thinking that Adora could ever be as bad as you?” 

Catra laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll see the truth soon enough. Just like I did.” 

“Look, I don’t care if you actually believe that crap or if you are trying to manipulate me. I know my friend. And she believes you are good too. She’d do anything to give you a second chance if you asked for it. And I want you to know that if you ever try to take advantage of her again, I will kill you, so you can never do it again. Are we clear?” 

Catra had already fallen asleep. 

 

* * *

 

Catra was woken up by a strong kick on the side. She was caught off guard and didn’t have time to retaliate, but she did manage to land on her feet and hands. 

“Catra? Glimmer? Bow?” 

Catra got ready to strike. Despite the warm light that coated the room, it took Catra a few seconds to recognize the lack of attackers. One of the guards approached her, but she didn’t dare touch her. Her hissing usually had that sort of effect. 

“Everything ok?” she asked. 

On the bed, Adora had sat up and was now pressing her hands against her face, covering her eyes. It took her a second to reply. 

“Yes, I’m sorry. Everything is fine.” 

The guard directed one last distrustful glance at Catra before retreating to her post near the door. 

Catra got up slowly. She did not rub her hurt abdomen. “Adora?” 

Adora’s breathing was slow and even. Her mouth was silently mouthing numbers to herself. 

"Adora?” she repeated. What had Bright Moon done to her? 

“It’s ok, I’m ok.” 

Catra’s tailed moved from side to side. Back at the Horde, she had known exactly what to do. Keep Adora to herself, everyone else was a threat. Right now, it looked like Adora herself was the threat. 

Finally, Adora lowered her hands. Her eyes looked red and her breaths were still heavily premeditated. “See?” She pulled the covers more tightly around herself. “All better, it was just a nightmare.” 

“A nightmare?” asked Catra, like she wasn’t intimately familiar with the concept. 

Adora looked down at her lap. “I get them from time to time. Turns out, I’m not very good at sleeping on my own.” She smiled now, shyly. 

Well that explained the lights, and the ever-constant presence of the princess and her sidekick. 

“I don’t know when Sparkles will be back,” Catra looked at the guards, but neither of them answered. 

“No, it’s ok. You are here.” 

Why did she keep repeating that? “Nothing about this is ok!” Catra yelled, finally losing it. “I shouldn’t be here, and you shouldn’t either.” 

The smile was gone from Adora’s face. She went quiet, and for a moment Catra thought she wouldn’t answer. 

“We’ll get you a horse in the morning. You should be able to make it through the woods without any major problems.” 

“Good,” said Catra, sitting back on the bed. Adora laid on her uninjured side and stretched her legs diagonally. If Catra’s back pressed against them, it was due to the lack of space. 

 

* * *

 

Adora looked much better in the morning. Did She-Ra have magical healing abilities? That information could be of use to the Horde. 

“I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t realize I kicked you. Did I hurt you?” 

Catra huffed. “It looks like your princess has finally abandoned you.”  

“Glimmer and Bow will be back tonight.” 

Did she even realize that the lack of her ever-present shadows made her the most vulnerable she had been since she had left the Horde? 

Adora handed her a plate, distracting her from the thought. She picked one up for herself. Catra spared one second to look at its suspicious contents before she started eating. She knew it would taste good, but nothing she had been giving during her stay at Bright Moon had actually resembled normal food. 

“Swift Wind has agreed to take you through the forest.” 

Catra blinked. She couldn’t have heard that right. But she decided to leave it that way. The names of Adora’s allies didn’t interest her in the slightest. “Finally, when?” 

“He left early to talk to some horses,” Catra still wouldn’t ask, “but he should be back soon.” Adora extended her hand and Catra returned the plate. She got a hot cup of tea in exchange. It didn’t taste or smell like medicine, but at least it was bland, like most beverages at the Fright Zone were. 

“You’ll have to make it yourself from now on. Perfuma wrote down the exact quantities for you. Just make sure you keep taking it until there’s nothing left, ok?” 

“Sure.” She didn’t stop herself from rolling her yes. 

“I’m serious, Catra, until there’s nothing left, or you could get sick again.” 

“I heard you the first time.” 

“Good.” 

 

* * *

 

Losing her escort was easy. Exploring the castle even more so. She had thought knowing its layout could be useful in the future, but the truth was, she didn’t need it. The place was ridiculously unprotected. The windows were numerous, huge, and unguarded. The corridors and doors big and difficult to defend. How Shadow Weaver had never managed to conquer this place was beyond her. She guessed she really was that useless. 

She rounded a corner and found Adora sitting on the floor. Great, just what she needed. She considered turning around but well, she was about to leave. She wouldn’t get more chances to rile her up for a while. Especially since it looked like her wounds wouldn’t be healed any time soon. 

Adora didn’t say anything as Catra sat down next to her. 

“Enjoying the view?” 

She groaned, resting her head against the wall. “I couldn’t stay in that room anymore.” 

“You are right, this hallway is much better.” 

Adora glared and stuck her tongue out at her. “I got too tired to go on.” 

“I’m sure your guards would carry you back if you asked, princess.” 

Adora shoved her shoulder. On reflex, Catra braced herself but the contact wasn’t strong enough to do much of anything. Adora fixed her gaze on something above Catra’s forehead and she frowned. Instead of retreating her hand, it followed the fall of Catra’s hair. Catra tensed, but Adora didn’t touch her. 

“There’s a shower just past that room,” Adora said, nodding towards the end of the hall.  

Catra left her there. She took a different corridor once she got out of the shower. 

 

* * *

 

Adora looked up as the door was banged open. 

“What the hell was that?” 

Catra marched up towards the bed. Adora was sitting, slumped against the wall. A metal cube was on her hands. 

“What was what?” 

“No, seriously, is this a joke to you?” 

Instead of replying, Adora shot a look at the guard who had followed her in. 

“She met Swift Wind.” 

She addressed Catra again. “What’s wrong with Swift Wind?” 

“What’s wrong? You expect me to go back to the Fright Zone in that?” 

“Swift Wind is a he. And he’s the safest way to get you back.” 

“Well, find a new one because I’m not going anywhere near that horse again.” 

Adora blinked. “Fine, we’ll get you a new one.” 

“A normal one.” 

“Yes, Catra, a normal one. But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow at least.” 

She showed her fangs. “Tomorrow?” 

“Swift Wind freed all the horses from their stables. It’ll take a while to find one.” 

“Now listen here, princess-” 

Adora talked over her. “What else do you want me to do? You can’t go by yourself.” 

“I’m getting really tired of you treating me like one of your pets.” 

“I’m not-” Catra cut her off by grabbing her shirt and pulling her up to eye level. There was some rustling behind her as the guards rushed up to them. Catra positioned her claws over Adora’s neck. Someone pushed a weapon against her back so she sank them in until she drew blood. 

Adora’s eyes were fixed on hers. “Stand back.” 

They did not stand back, so Catra guessed they weren’t completely incompetent after all. 

“You want to hurt me? Go ahead. You have me, Catra. You win.” 

She hissed, tightening her hold. “I’ve already told you. This isn’t a game.” 

“Then what is it, Catra? You say you want me back. You say you want to kill me. You say you don’t want to be here. But you still are. So what is it, Catra? What do you really want?” 

Catra wanted to hit Adora right on the stomach, watch her curl up in pain. But she would be subdued the second her claws left Adora’s neck. 

Adora put her hand over hers. “Let me help you, Catra. You can have everything you want here. Power, glory. You don’t need the Horde to give you that.” 

“Yeah, sure, like I’d ever go back to being your shadow.” 

“You were never that. I don’t care what everyone else thought, you were never that for me. We-” 

Catra pursed her lips, then she punched her. 

 

* * *

 

Of course, Bright Moon didn’t have proper cells. Why would they? It wasn't like anything worked properly in this dumb castle. Instead, Catra was shoved into yet another warm colored room. It didn’t have a vanity or a waterfall, but apart from that it was indistinguishable from the few she had been in so far. At least they had had the sense to tie up her hands and legs, Catra could give them that. 

Her whole body hurt. That seemed to be the consequence of being dragged away by the whole of the castle’s army. They weren’t even that many, but Catra was still sore all over from her recent brush in with death. 

Attacking Adora hadn’t been her most thought out plan. She had only wanted to shut her up. She was sick of dealing with her self-righteousness.  She had wanted her to feel even a fraction of the hell she had put her through when she took her out of the woods. 

By the way Adora had laid there, unmoving, while Catra was being pulled away, she could safely assume that she had gotten her wish. 

And now here she was. She tried pulling at her restraints but it was clear there was nothing she could do about them in her current state. Without bothering with making it to the bed, Catra tipped herself over and willed herself to sleep. She had a breakout to plan in the morning. 

 

* * *

 

At least she had been already sitting up when Adora walked in. Catra had perfected the uninterest look pretty early on in her life, but even she would have trouble pulling it off while lying on the floor, hands behind her back. 

Adora didn’t talk for a while. She chose a spot across from her and she let herself slide to the ground. She wouldn’t stop moving her foot. 

“I’m sorry,” she finally said. 

Catra let the silence stretch. Didn’t even let her ears point in her direction. 

“I was upset and I goaded you knowing that you would snap.” 

She heard more people standing behind the door now. Adora’s personal bodyguards. 

“Catra, please. Talk to me. I want to fix this. I’d do anything to fix this.” 

Catra couldn’t stop the sarcastic laugh from leaving her throat. 

“What’s so funny about it?” Adora rested a hand on the floor to balance herself. The skin under her eyes looked bruised. 

The princess wanted to talk? She would talk. “You are so full of shit.” 

“Why?” 

She showed her teeth. “Don’t act dumb, Adora. We both know it.” 

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Catra. Why don’t you explain it to me?” 

Why did Adora insist on playing the perfect angel part? They both knew it didn’t suit her. 

“If you don’t tell me, I can’t fix it.” 

“There's nothing for you to fix.” 

“That's not true, if you would let me-” 

“You came back for her,” she spat. “You left me alone but you came back for her!” 

That made her shut up. Adora tried to pull up her legs up to her chest, but the movement made her flinch and she had to go back to her previous position. She pressed a hand against her stomach. 

“Catra, I...” she closed her mouth, pursed her lips. “I went back to get Glimmer, you wanted me to join the Horde. It's different. And I told you to come with us and you wouldn’t.” 

“You think that matters? I asked you to come back, Adora. I told you what would happen if you didn’t but you stayed anyway.” 

“I didn’t want you to stay at the Horde either, but I couldn’t make that decision for you.” 

“Funny how you’ve kept me here instead.” 

“I offered you out. Multiple times. You can get mad at me for helping you or you can get mad at me for abandoning you, you can’t do both.” 

“No, I think I can, actually. You only confronted Shadow Weaver when it was convenient to you.” Catra told herself that she shouldn't be indulging this. That she should drop it. But she couldn't quite make herself believe it.  

“Catra, I never wanted you to be hurt!” 

“But you never wanted to to compromise your position as her favorite ward either.” 

Adora sighed. “I know this is my fault. I never saw what the Horde was really doing to us...” 

That got her a roll of the eyes. “You know what your problem is, princess? You think everything revolves around you. And look, I get it, Shadow Weaver did a hell of a job conditioning you. But one would’ve thought you’d grown out of it by now. You can’t keep hiding behind your naivety forever.” 

She frowned, thinking about it. “You are probably right.” Then, after another pause, “I’m going to untie you now.” 

“Aren’t you scared of what I might do?” She swung her tail from side to side. 

“I’ll take my chances. I meant it before, when I said that I was sorry.” 

Catra stood still as Adora kneeled behind her. She couldn’t stop herself from sighing in relief when her arms were finally free.  

Adora sat down in front of her. She reached forward but, instead of going for the binds on her ankles, she grabbed one of her hands. All of Catra’s hair stood on end as Adora softly rubbed her wrists, helping the blood flow. 

“I think I have a plan.” 

Catra rolled her eyes, “of course you do.” 

“I’ll think about the things you said. And I’ll try to do better.” Catra pulled her hand back once the pain started to recede. 

Unperturbed, Adora grabbed the other one. “But,” she continued, “you think about what I said too.” 

“Which would be...?” 

“What you really want.” 

“Sure, I’ll get right on that.” 

“C’mon Catra, be serious. You are my best friend, I don’t care what you think about it. And if right now, what you need is to go back to the Horde then I’ll have to respect that.” 

Catra leaned back on her free hand. “And you are ok with that?” 

“I’ll have to be. And this isn’t about me anyway, right?” 

“Right.” Adora’s touch didn’t feel like needles on her skin anymore, but Catra let it go on for a moment longer. 

“Besides, we both know you aren’t meant to be anyone’s second in command.”  

She couldn’t argue with that. Adora released her hand and then, finally, she freed Catra’s legs. Adora gave her a second to recover, then she stood up. 

“And when you figure out what you are looking for, I’ll help you get it, ok?” She offered her hand. 

Catra took it, and she let herself be helped up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went through the five stages of grief like three times while writing this. It was,,,so hard,,, I wanted to find a way for them to patch things up that felt realistic enough for me but the truth is, it's going to take a while. I got them as close as I could though.  
> Edited to add: I really didn't think I would get a second chapter when I posted the first one. It ended there because I felt that it could stand on its own and because it was as close to a happy ending as I could manage. I think the same with this one. I can't promise I won't get the urge to add anything else but as a general rule if my works are marked as complete it's because the story has some kind of closure and I'm not actively planning on continuing it.


End file.
